Dark Heavens Space Ship Girls Quest
by Biigoh
Summary: The concept is simple. Cute Girls doing Cute Things in SPACE! like shooting each other up and flying about with friends. This is an archive of a SFW Quest I'm running on Questionable Questing. Updates are sporadic. :3
1. Setup

This is the archive of a Quest I'm running on the Questionable Questing forum in the SFW section named [ **Dark Heavens | Space Ship Girls Quest** ]. If you want to vote or influence the direction of this, please feel free to come to Questionable Questing to post there your votes and opinions and stuff.

The concept is simple. Cute Girls doing Cute Things in SPACE! like shooting each other up. :3

Setting-wise, it's inspired by Tenchi Muyo, Mecha Musume, Arpeggio of Blue Steel, and Kantai Collection. But it's also derived from an actual setting that got hit with massive enough AU that it's more original than anything. ^_^

Otherwise, just enjoy the story archived here.


	2. Introduction

Compared to others of your kind, you are... young, having hatched from your egg for a short period of time. A hundred revolutions of the world around its primary sun.

As you had grown, you had listened to the songs and endless words of your people across the aether, that long darkness between worlds.

You had forged yourself a body that you could be proud of, hewing to some of their advice and not others, for they were mutually incompatible.

Drinking deep of the dark matter that was just out of phase, your alternate body too was formed based on your kin's advice, much like your primary body's development. It would take but mere concentration to pull it out from where it rested elsewhere in the alternate realm of shadow mass and energy.

You were hesitant to do so, despite the fact that it was now complete. For in doing so, you would signal your intent to swim in the darkness between stars. To ply the endless tides of gravity and exotic particles, where the light of the stars and their worlds are faint pinpricks in an endless darkness.

And yet, it was your right to do so, to take to the dark heavens.

Perhaps, you might find yourself some pets or crew as some of your kind called them. Ones whom you could mimic with your primary body. You heard that having pets or a crew provided your kind with benefits... something about a beast two heads or something like that. You can't quite make out the babbling there.

Part of your hesitation is the knowledge that your kin are NOT the only ones out there... that the pets or crew have in some cases created imitation of your kind, or as some whisper darkly... have hollowed out the minds of their owners and taken over. And then there are the more fantastical stories of strange cousins of your people plying the darkness between stars silent save for when they attacked.

\- - -  
 **Dark Heavens | Space Ship Girls  
000 : Introduction**  
\- - -


	3. Choice

The world that had played host for you since your hatching was green... it was what you instinctively knew to be a Garden World.

A world that was lush, verdant and upon which intelligent life would eventually evolve on or desire to claim.

It is also... sadly, a quiet world. With no intelligent life beyond you on it. No settlements or such. No tool users. Nothing that you would claim as a pet... erm... crew.

Instead, it is just you and only you on that lonely world as you listened to the broadcasts from distant worlds.

You were ready... far more than ready to take off...

And so, one day... you did.

You flew up to the highest peak upon that lonely world of yours. Your pale skin reflected the light much like the snow beneath you, unlike the black hardened portions of your body; a reflection of your other self's armor, weaponry and engines.

Admittedly, flying isn't actually accurate, given the effect of your gravity drives meant that you were more falling upwards or forwards than down.

There you stood, upon the highest point of your birthworld, gazing upon the blue blackness of the heavens above.

You clenched your fist and listened, breathing in the thin air.

You had a choice here.

You could continue to stay upon this world, perhaps even broadcasting a beacon that this was a garden world and someone would eventually come by.

Or you could fly from your nest.

\- - -  
 **Dark Heavens | Space Ship Girls**  
 **001 : Choice**  
\- - -


	4. Fly me to the moon

You bent your knees before pushing up and started to fall.

Granted, you fell up into the heavens.

The air thinned even as it got colder. At the edge of the atmosphere, you can see the clouds below as the curve of the world burned blue against the darkness of the heavens.

Before you, you can also see the primary satellite of your world between you and the sun casting a shadow. Beyond that, you can see eternity.

For a moment, you hang motionless between your world and the dark void of the heavens.

A silent and single moment, before you pushed your other body out of the realm of Dark Matter and Energy. The blunt bow of your dagger shaped hull parted the wispy thin atmosphere as your other body formed around you.

That was when "it" clicked, and you could SENSE all the myriad energies of the universe. The heavens was not dark. No, it was a thing of light and energy beyond your core body's senses.

More than that, you could now hear the words of your sisters with much more clarity.

Your navigation systems have conveniently set up a map of the star system you're in.

The sun was the center of the grid, there was an axis pointed "corewards" and "voidwards" or towards the core of the galaxy or out of the galaxy, while another went clockwise to counter-clockwise for the galactic rotation, and the last was relative to the sun, being up or down.

Each axis or line was divided into one hundred units to form a cube that was divided into eight smaller cubes that was divided into one hundred by one hundred by one hundred.

This was also when you discovered that you were... hungry. A novel sensation for you, the core body could eat but never had to.

You needed fuel to properly explore your star system or to go elsewhere... there was also that asteroid belt just a bit further out with those delicious metal ores and minerals. The only question... was which to go for first?

\- - -  
 **Dark Heavens | Space Ship Girls  
002 : Fly me to the moon~**  
\- - -


	5. Om nom nom nom nom

While you could use with a good refueling... that didn't mean that you weren't also hungry in another way.

Your sensor ping revealed a few things about the star system that your world belonged to.

First, it possessed a G-type main-sequence star, around that sun was your world with its own satellite. And in a "belt" with a wider orbit than your world was a mass of asteroids and dwarf planets. Full of rich minerals and ores.

You couldn't resist... you flew in that direction, following the solar winds towards the edge of the heliosphere where the belt lay... and beyond that, a cloud of ice and assorted other gasses in solid form lay.

You were seated inside yourself, upon a chair... the captain's chair. It was soft and comfortable, as it should be. You squished yourself into it and relaxed as your alternate body moved, and within it... your repair system drones patrolled the hallways and chambers of your body.

As you entered the asteroid belt, it was clear to you that it was completely artificial. Indeed, your solar system was engineered.

A single garden world with no intelligent life on it was understandable.

A single garden world with no intelligent life on it, that orbited its sun alone. Fine, not too unexpected.

A single garden world with no intelligent life on it, that orbited its sun alone with a belt of asteroids that had just the right minerals and ores for a growing girl like you to properly arm herself and fill up her stocks of parts for repairs? That was stretching things a bit.

But the final evidence lay in the shattered bodies scattered here and there. Bodies of your sisters, shattered, they were allowed to run, that much was clear to you from the shots... but parts of their bodies lay here, dragged and placed into stable orbits for you to feast on.

Sadly... while they were useful... the parts were not revolutionary.

There were even... you had to blink... primitive fusion torch engine drives, which appeared to have come from the pets of your kin. Built for them by a dotting sister.

That evidence had you concerned... hence why you blasted with your broadside when you were surprised by an asteroid that had managed to enter your blind spot and emerged from it.

It was embarrassing, and yet... that asteroid was quickly harvested as you directed your gravity engines to drag the fragments into your cargo-hold where they were quickly broken down by your repair drones and fabbers.

It was nice having a full stock of torpedoes, as well as the components for repairing yourself if necessary.

Naturally, it was at this point that you made an about face and headed into the heart of the solar system... you had to fuel up, after all.

Bravely, you dove into the sun. The ionized gases of the solar wind licked around your shields and hull, slowly warming your body.

This was a bearable temperature, you could swim in the sun's corona without concern, your shields were durable enough for such.

Deeper, you swam... into the reddish chromosphere where hydrogen burned, as tongues of plasma reached up and provided bursts of energy, in the form of X-rays, ultraviolet radiation, electromagnetic radiation and radio waves, that was quite distracting.

And then you plunged into the plasma of the photosphere, your ram-scoops drinking deeply. Harvesting the plasma. Here you could only stay for a short period of time to prevent your shields from running dry.

Exploding out of the sun with swirls of plasma and ionized gases around you... you continue onwards and out... to park yourself on the other side of your solar system... you 'gazed' at the galaxy in the distance.

What Now?

That was a worthy question, was it not?

\- - -  
 **Dark Heavens | Space Ship Girls  
003 : Om nom nom nom nom.**  
\- - -


	6. Greetings

It doesn't take long for you to triangulate the direction of the broadcasts, plot out the journey necessary between star systems.

The multiple star systems between you and where a number of your sisters were gathered. In theory, you could travel there with less stop overs at the star systems between, but that was dangerous.

And thus, you pulled/pushed/fell in a route out of your nest. Away from the world you grew up on, away from the sun you had first looked at over a century ago.

Past the other side of the asteroid belt that encircled the star system.

Out into the empty void where the light of your sun was but a faint pinpoint of light, where the gravitational eddies were weak and your superluminal drive could function.

Your heart raced even as you sat still upon the throne-like captain's seat... your seat... as you gazed out at the expanse beyond your home. Deep within your other body, you could feel virginal systems awaken as refined solar plasma were pumped into them, as capacitors were charged.

The capacitors pushed their way into your core, twisting as they did so... dumping all of their charge into your Aetheric Slipstream engine.

Before you, space twisted itself as reality rent itself before you with white blue foam that flowed over your body... sucking and pulling you in.

You spent an eternity before emerging outside an alien star system. The blue hue of the star at the heart of the system before you was brilliant, it was also larger. The planets around it were barren things.

You found yourself traveling from star system to star system, making sure to top up your fuel once you made sure it was safe to do so.

Eventually, you found yourself emerging at the source of the broadcasts.

The star that they had gathered at was a brilliant yellow. There were no habitable worlds, only gas giants and an asteroid belt.

You carefully approached the source of the broadcasts. For while you were strong, your speed wasn't what it could be if you but abandoned your armor and weapons... and once you entered the system, you were stuck in it for some time.

Your scans swept across the system...

The number of your sisters wasn't many, being but a paltry six. And yet, this was the first time you had encountered others like you.

The replying scan and broadcasts directed at you were hesitant. It was clear that they weren't expecting someone like you.

[Yona - Hello. Who are you?]  
[Izuna - Friend or Foe?]  
[Jack - You can't just ask THAT, Izuna!]  
[Izuna - The hell I can't! Look at her!]  
[So - Girls... please settle down. So, who are you? And are you here to join us?]

This was when your scans revealed that your sisters you had travelled to meet were not your equal... their defensive shields and weapons were all weaker. There was also the fact that their ship forms were smaller and sleeker than you were.

The repaired damage that their bodies bore. The signs of the repairs were obvious to your scans. From the looks of it, they had been in extensive combat.

\- - -  
 **Dark Heavens | Space Ship Girls  
004 : Greetings**  
\- - -


	7. Big Sister

[Ciara - Friend? erm... am I doing this right?] You hesitantly replied to your sisters. It was clear from the scars that covered their ship-bodies that they were highly experienced!

Sure, it looked as if whoever they faced had tore them a new one, several new ones in fact. And yet, they were still here. Even transmitting that they were looking for someone new.

It would be a good thing to be prepared to fire a barrage in case they were aggressive, and run away.

At your response, there was a quiet conference between the six other girls as they did tight beam transmissions.

Eventually, the last pair of the six sisters spoke up. Their smaller bodies were identical to each other, even if the damage and repairs to their bodies made identifying them easier.

[Aki - If you~]  
[Aoi - were to~]  
[Aki - let us~]  
[Aoi - scan you~]  
[Aki - we might~]  
[Aoi - trust you.]

You had to look back and forth as they spoke in sync with each other.

[Ciara - erm... okay, I guess that's fine.] You replied, it was clear that they needed some sort of examination in order to not be worried about you.

Certainly you could understand, after all... you were better armed and protected than they were.

The scans tickled your space-faring body as a radiance of crimson ran over your interior. You could disrupt the scan easily

After its end, there was more whispering. You managed to catch some words from the transmissions... Something about virginal and ridiculously overpowered for age. Along with so cool?!

[Jack - So... I might be wrong to have accused you like that... :/] She was sulking, but it was a cute sulk.

[Ciara - It's okay... ^_^] Your transmission included a smile.

The sisters vanished... you ran scans as you refused to accept what you just saw. Aetheric Slipstream INSIDE a star system where the gravitational eddies should have prevented them from doing so.

They re-emerged from the depths of the sun... with another of your sisters. She was... well... She was large. VERY large in comparison to your body frame. Massive armor that you suspect would take you forever to break down. There wasn't much armament on her body, but she had time to slowly ping your shields down or ram you.

[ChiChi - Hello.] Her smaller body was just as large... very talented.

[Ciara - H... hello.] You twitched and looked at her as she approached you. There were minor signs of damage and repairs, but that could be explained by her simply ramming her way into other ships, asteroids, small moons, large moons, dwarf planets...

[ChiChi - I've heard you're looking to join my group. I'll only do so, on one condition. It's the same one that the others have.] She smiled warmly at you.

[Ciara - Ah?]

[ChiChi - You have to call me Big Sister, and I will call you Little Sister.] She nodded firmly at you.

The next transmission from her was a data packet, one that would register them as friends in your IFF identifier and transmit to your seven sisters your willingness to join them. For good and ill.

\- - -  
 **Dark Heavens | Space Ship Girls  
005 : Big Sister**  
\- - -


	8. Enemies

It doesn't take much for you to accept the request and transmit the IFF packet back to your Big Sister and your other sisters, on a narrow beam transmission much like the way the packet had been transmitted to you.

[ChiChi - Welcome to ChiChi's Freelancers, Ciara.]

This was followed up by more transmissions by your other sisters welcoming you to the group.

[Chichi - Ciara... I know you're young and likely have had no experience in some of the things that one runs into outside the nest you grew up in...] There was a sheepish tone in your Big Sister's voice.

[Jack - There are dangerous things out here. Some of them will be our sisters.] The angry one from earlier spoke up.

[ChiChi - It is as Jack says. Will you be fine with fighting others of our kind?]

There was a ping from your sensors of... someone emerging from Slipstream just outside the system. But for you to be pinged... it had to be a large mass or a number of others all emerging at once.

[So - Girls... small problem, they found us. It's K'un's fleet. Or a part of it.] There was a worried look on So's face as she spoke up.

[Aki - It's time~]  
[Aoi - to dock~]  
[Aki - and run~]  
[Aoi - or fight?]

There were more narrow transmissions as So tilted her head and listened to what her senses were telling her.

[So - It's the dragon, Sohryuu. And her escorts just detached... two cruisers and four scouts.] There was a hint of a wince from ChiChi at what So said.

[ChiChi - Girls... time to dock. Time to run. Ciara, I'm sorry... but please dock with me and I'll explain everything.]

\- - -  
 **Dark Heavens | Space Ship Girls  
006 : Enemies**  
\- - -


	9. Hot Blooded

It is amazing just how much more you could sense while on a tight beam feed from So... the sensors that she wielded had such power and range that you had clear resolution on the incoming sisters. Your sensors could only detect the presence of subliminal drives at full thrust, nothing more than the presence of enemy ships.

No wonder Big Sister ChiChi had time to hide in the sun while the sisters in your new fleet waited for you.

And yet... seeing the full deployment of the Shoryuu's escorts, her parasite crafts... it only excited you.

This would be your first time... it likely would hurt... but that was how things went, didn't it?

And yet... the fleet you had joined... their first instinct was to cut and run from an inferior force. Okay, it was inferior now that you were with them.

[Ciara - I don't think we should run.]

[ChiChi - ... you do understand that they have parity with us and they outgun us.]

[Ciara - Erm... no, they don't? At least not after I joined you girls.]

[Jack - You know what, the kid has a point. I'm kind of tired of being chased by those K'un's bitches.]

[Aoi - So, we're~]  
[Aki - all in.]

With that, a plan was quickly hashed out by you and your big sisters...

Shoryuu preferred to stay behind while her parasite crafts raced ahead with the scouts, acting as the fleet's eyes, while the two light cruisers would stay and protect her until their prey was found.

Thus, all that was needed was to draw out the cruisers and take the Dragon out of action.

It didn't take much for the six more mobile sisters to flicker out of your detection with judicious use of slipstream diving inside the solar system. That done... Big Sister ChiChi charged straight at where Shoryuu was on an out bound course.

While you followed behind, undetected... hidden by the gravity wake of your much bigger Big Sister. Such was her pull that you found yourself not needing to use as much energy to insinuate forwards in her wake.

Which meant that the parasite crafts and the scouts soon spotted your Big Sister...

So's sensors detected movement from the two cruisers as they laid in an intercept course for your big sister. You could see the approach vectors of the scouts and parasite crafts... they were trying to net her in, to prevent an escape from the cruisers.

\- - -  
 **Dark Heavens | Space Ship Girls  
007 : Hot Blooded**  
\- - -

Action Schedule  
(6:30:46 PM) qqbot: Biigoh selects: ChiChi  
(6:30:53 PM) qqbot: Biigoh selects: Subs  
(6:31:13 PM) qqbot: Biigoh selects: Cruiser Twins  
(6:31:23 PM) qqbot: Biigoh selects: shoryuu  
(6:31:31 PM) qqbot: Biigoh selects: scouts

And Ciara goes last~


	10. Overwhelming Victory

Your heart beat fast, even as your engine pulsed steadily, as you peer over the edge of your remade throne. It was a tad uncomfortable, and thus, you had your repair systems remodel it into a a cushiony little fortress that was armoured on the outside and soft and squishy on in the inside. And had walls just tall enough for you to peer over

You could watch the screens with your smaller body, while your larger body observed everything around you. Even more, with the aid of So, you could see so much more.

Despite the temptation to simply drink in the vista, you focused on Big Sister ChiChi, making sure to stay hidden in her wake. Thankfully, Big Sister ChiChi left a rather wide and deep wake when she was charging at full bore. It meant, you didn't need to stay right by her and thus potentially running the risk of being spotted accidentally.

And so, you waited and watched as first the parasite crafts of Shoryuu lanced in, to start probing at your Big Sister's defenses. From light particle beams to fire and forget missiles that made your sensors scream radiological alarm at you with each explosion.

You could only watch as your Big Sister simply ignored each and every attack essayed at her, even as she desperately attempted to return fire with laser cannons and small railgun turrets, what on you were point defenses.

And yet, you could almost feel your Big Sister's concern as the light cruiser twins joined the fighters in a parody of an escort around her. You could see what, they planned, to simply rotate and fire unending broadside barrages at her until she surrendered or was brought to a stop.

It proved easy to achieve full thrust, and lance in under your Big Sister.

There was a moment of surprise on the twin cruisers as well as the scouts... and then it was too late.

It feels... good to unleash HELLFIRE with your broadsides, to ripple down your array of heavy cannons one after the other. To see them strike a target, to see the target be pushed away from heavy damage down their bodies.

It feels invigorating... you could feel your heart beat faster as you deployed your missile turrets. To know that everyone's radiological alarm were screaming as your fired your missiles. To see their desperate evasion... and it just wasn't enough. Not with big sister So's sensors and telementary guiding your missiles.

The blossoms of light and radiation, the very foundation of life and existence, were beautiful as they flared into existence.

True, you were not able to bring them to a dead stop, rather... you had crippled them. Their very mobility was now compromised and that had been all that had kept them alive.

Still, that was no matter, you just needed a little bit of time to reload your missile turret, and they would have a choice of surrendering or dying like the little bitches who had dared to hurt your Big Sister.

More, with their main drives compromised, the parasite crafts would not be able to return to their mothership, the Shoryuu.

Which was when you received a transmission... granted, it was a broad-beam transmission and there was no attempt to encrypt it or such.

[Shoryuu - Pl... please... I surrender... ceas... ceasefire. I yield! Thetis, Medusa... please stop.] There was a hint of damage from the chamber where the smaller body of Shoryuu had secreted herself in her larger body. The tone of desperation and shock in her voice was also quite clear.

Now came the narrow-beam communication from Big Sister ChiChi to you and your other big sisters. [ChiChi - Should we accept their surrender and take our weregild or should we... the other option would be to sink them.]

[Izuna - You can't be serious about that second option. You know that there are things that are never done, and murder is one of them.] There was a frown from Izuna now.

[Jack - Nothing wrong with that if no one knows... you get my meaning.]

[Izuna - Jack. We would know.]

\- - -  
 **Dark Heavens | Space Ship Girls  
008 : Overwhelming Victory**  
\- - -


	11. To the Victor, The Rewards of Victory

You are... young as your kind goes. Very young. Your experience was lacking.

Some might even call you a callow youth. One who was far in over her head. And that... that was fine.

Because you were with Big Sister.

More than that, you had been invited aboard her body, your ship form was docked to Big Sister ChiChi's and you were now walking inside her. You and your other sisters, the six stealth predator class 'submarines'.

How... lewd.

But you weren't the only one inside Big Sister... you were now able to meet your other sisters face to face.

This was something new for you. All of your life, you had been alone. You could only listen from within the gravity of your world to the words and songs of your sisters.

To finally meet your sisters face to face.

It was oddly softer and warmer than you expected as you were hugged by your Big Sister. She was very soft and warm, also squishy and... she smelled nice.

You found yourself rewarded with pats on the head... which felt very nice.

You hadn't know how much you had wanted and needed this.

And even as you were hugged by your big sister, you could heard the transmissions by your Big Sisters as they accepted the surrender before stripping the protesting Shoryuu of her Parasite Craft fabrication plant and launch systems.

She did seem to like to whine, something about unfair and how crippled she would be. Your big sister's reply about it being tough and that she would recover in time was a good reply, right?

It didn't take too long for the Shoryuu to be stripped before your sisters made their way out of the planetary system.

And you found yourself dragged into slipstream by your Big Sister, carried along by her massive engines as you remained docked to her. She could take you further than you could go alone.

\- - -  
 **Dark Heavens | Space Ship Girls  
009 : To the Victor, The Rewards of Victory**  
\- - -


	12. Hugs and Repair Drones

This hugging thing bears more investigation. If it's nice with big sister ... we must try it with everyone!

As you tested out the hugging thing with your big sisters, all of them... and they seemed to like snuggling and hugging you back even if they weren't as soft and squishy as Big Sister ChiChi, you thought about Big Sister ChiChi's damage. It really was your fault that she had been hurt.

The answer was simple, you just had to have your repair drones fix her up.

"... no, Ciara..." Big Sister ChiChi stopped you before you could deploy your Autonomous Repair Drones inside her body.

"No?" You blinked at her curiously.

She shook her head. "No, you shouldn't do that without asking first. Because it's dangerous to do so."

"More than that," She smiled before continuing to speak. "More than that, you run the risk of your repair drones being converted to being mine... leaving you without your drones until your fabricator builds more and they'll take time to build more of them."

"And it'll be dangerous if the system we go to has enemies in them, mmmmh?"

\- - -  
 **Dark Heavens | Space Ship Girls  
010 : Hugs and Repair Drones**  
\- - -


	13. Ice Cream and History Lessons

You gift your repair drones to your Big Sister, after all, she needed it more than you and you could make more... it just too a bit of time.

Alas, you discover that your Big Sister was used to certain things done by her little sister, like hugs and other more... adventurous stuff and thus has counters ALREADY prepared.

You would not be exploring her body with your grubby hands... instead, you got to lie on her lap and experience something UNSPEAKABLE!

Chocolate.

Vanilla.

Cherries

Cold.

Cream.

You had no words for the blend of chocolate and vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce and cherries on top.

It was good... you had to kick your legs in delight as you were introduced to that substance. And Big Sister has said as she gave you head patpats that if you were a good girl, you would get more ice cream.

Granted, your other sisters were also eating ice cream... but you had bigger scopes than them. BIGGER, you hear!

And as you savored the cold delight, you listened to your Big Sister.

"Once upon a time, long ago and far away... the wise and all powerful Creators created your kind.

They created your ancestresses and gave them the ability to think. To move. To endure. And... to fight.

In time, they saw that what they had wrought was good.

For in those days, your ancestress served the Creators. Served and fought.

The Primordial Era when your kind rose was not a peaceful one. For they were birthed in what the Eldest of Sisters called " **The War in Heaven** ".

Of that ancient war, they would not speak, have never spoken to those who were not there. All that is known is that they had won. At a terrible cost, the wise and all powerful Creators were driven to slow extinction.

But they had won, and in winning ensured that " **The War in Heaven** " would never happen again.

They created a vast network of devices with the last of the Creators, that pinned space time, and ensured that the Dark Matter verse could not be accessed by biological beings.

They ensured that the enemies of the Creators called the Reality Deviants were slain to the last unhatched egg, their servants and armies scattered to the far flung corners of the Galaxy and beyond.

And it was good.

To this day, you and your kind stood guard against the return of the Reality Deviants.

And yet... with the death of the last of the Creators... your kind slowly found that disagreements could not be easily settled.

And factions slowly formed.

Across the Galaxy, countless factions of your Sisters had formed, cliques. K'un was a growing power in the local region, and she was all too happy to recruit or conscript those who were 'independent'. Or to harass them until they joined.

For now, your Big Sister was on a recruitment drive as she made her way to Royale, one of the Legendary Elder Sisters, who orbited a degenerate star that she called Utopia. She welcomed all and provided a safe ground for those who needed to rest a while or perhaps do a bit of trading.

\- - -  
 **Dark Heavens | Space Ship Girls**  
 **011 : Ice Cream and History Lessons**  
\- - -


	14. Journey to Utopia

Big Sister ChiChi, unsurprisingly, liked to take things easy as she meandered in the dark depths of space between star systems.

True, her Aetheric Slipstream drive systems were suitably large... your idle calculations indicated that she could go faster, that she was nowhere near her maximum top speed.

When you asked her about this, she had simply laughed and smiled. "Ciara, what I can do and what I'm known to be able to do are two different thing. True, I could go faster... but everyone knows that I only go at such speed when I'm running away, and thus they assume that I can only go so fast."

You had to nod at that, if their assumptions were off... then in an emergency, it would be a surprise for everyone involved. Still, her current speed was but a fraction of what she could achieve, theoretically according to your calculations.

The transfer of your repair drones went without issues as they set up nests in your Big Sister's repair facilities. A sight that you and your big sisters watched with fascination now and then, given how different your drones appeared from the ones used by all of your big sisters.

More importantly, the fabrication of more repair drones and specialized replacement parts for your drone fabbers and nest was without issues as raw materials were transferred to your fabbers from Big Sister.

And so, the days slowly passed as you and your big sisters played with each other and familiarized yourselves with each other's bodies and skills. You found yourself unable to imagine a life without your big sisters.

The route taken by Big Sister ChiChi was circuitous and hardly efficient. But then she wasn't focused on an A to B point to point travel, even if you and your big sisters got into a routine of having a deep scan of any system you emerged outside of, and being ready to fight or run... you had yet to do either.

Rather, she planned her route on resource intake. What resources any given system had, from rare ores to organic material harvested from garden worlds.

More you got to witness a 'merchant' or 'supply tender' ship's method of intake. Massive Matter to Energy to Matter converters efficiently tore apart matter she brought into her ship's maw with tractor beams.

The only drawback was the size of the converters, and the speed that they tore things apart. Those were the reason why you hadn't asked Big Sister ChiChi for a version sized to your ship form.

And so, you got to witness new vista...

Eventually, numerous systems later... you were informed by your Big Sister that all of you would be at Utopia soon, and so all of you were to be on your best behaviour. No stealing from the other cliques, she said with a look at your other big sisters. No fighting, this was said with a look at all of you. No laughing at the pets, even if they were forced to wear amusing outfits. This was neutral ground and she would like to keep it that way.

Jumping into the system, you could scarce believe what you saw...

There was a degenerate star, as stated by your Big Sister... but when she said Royale orbited it, you had imagined a massive ship in a steady orbit around it. Not what your sensor, let alone So's sensors, were telling you.

The star system was devoid of all mass, just the degenerate star and a massive lattice of metal and exotic alloys around it like a cage or perhaps a shattered world of metal, an incomplete sphere that fed on the degenerate star, tearing at it's mass with over-powered tractor beams.

That was Royale, a single look at her and you knew that this was one of the oldest beings in the galaxy if not the universe. The motes that darted around her were your peers, other cliques and lone sisters who had protection by virtue of being near her.

You could only look in awe at the massive bulk and power of this particular Legendary Elder Sister as Big Sister ChiChi drew close to her, before gaining permission to dock.

You and your sisters were given by Big Sister ChiChi a small allowance of alloyed black discs with a single glowing green mote in their center. You had the basic concept of money, you just never expected to be given such.

\- - -  
 **Dark Heavens | Space Ship Girls  
012 : Journey to Utopia**  
\- - -


	15. Trinkets and Snacks

As you walked out of the airlock that connected the drydock that Big Sister ChiChi was resting in, you turned and looked back at the ship forms of yourself and your big sisters.

It was different looking at yourself with your own eyes. It felt odd to have your ship body so far from you... but then, that was fine... you could survive this.

More than that, given that you were in a group of your more experienced big sisters, you'll be fine. A fact that you keep insisting to yourself as you were dragged to a ferry shuttle that was being controlled by a virtual intelligence in place of an actual intelligence like you and your big sisters.

It was adorable that someone had given said ferry shuttle a pet to interact with the customers. That the Eldanar wasn't a real person was obvious to your senses. It didn't have the quantum entanglement that your body had, it didn't hold a presence in the local subspace like you or your big sisters.

Still, your big sisters hired the service of the ferry shuttle for your stay with one plasma credit. Certainly the ferry shuttle's pet was more than happy with the payment and seem to feel that it was generous.

Still, as you were ferried about... you were exposed to a surprising number of creatures inhabiting Port Royale. Here and there, you could sense and see other sisters as they negociated for various items. Or simply wandering about with a pet.

You also discovered something amazing... the countless variety of ice cream, candies, and assorted tasty meals.

All of which was... virtually free, given their cost being a small fraction of a plasma credit.

And thus, you and your big sisters wandered from shop to shop, from restaurant to restaurant, in search of delights while the ferry shuttle and its pet ferried you about the city within the hull of Elder Sister Royal.

\- - -  
 **Dark Heavens | Space Ship Girls  
013 : Trinkets and Snacks**  
\- - -


	16. Expensive Pets

"Make 'ay!"

The concourse you were in was large for your smaller body. It didn't compare at all to your big sister's stealthy ship forms, let along your ship form.

And yet, the disturbance was easily spotted despite you and your big sisters being at one end of said concourse.

"Fer Prin-cess Him-me-ko!"

Quickly you climbed up a nearby bench, while allowed you to see massive green bodies festooned with an assortment of weapons and armor pushing a path for a floating palaquin surrounded by a small flotilla of drones. Your internal sensors pinged that one of your kin sat in that palanquin.

"Make 'ay!"

You could see the grumbling as a path was made for 'Princess Himeko' before you got down to where your big sisters were.

"Tch... looks like one of them showboat carriers," Jack said with a foul look at the palanquin as it made its way across the concourse with its escorts.

"Imma special little princess~" The gestures that Izuna made and the expression on her face as she replied brought a smile to yours.

There was a contemplative look on the faces of Aoi and Aki as they looked keenly at the palanquin and the sister in it. Eventually, they shrugged. "Eh... it's not like she's as big as Big Sister ChiChi."

"Indeed, Big Sister ChiChi is much more... mmmm... deliciously larger." The content looks on Aoi and Aki's faces was... well... it might be disturbing even if you're now certain you're safe from them.

As the palanquin and its escorts left the concourse, things returned to normal and you went back to contemplating what you had been looking at earlier as you licked at your ice cream in its waffle cone.

"Well, ma'am," the shopkeeper gestured at the display case of models in front of you. "The models here are all one to one thousand scale, and are more of a sample of what you'll be purchasing."

He gestured at a particular model. "This here is what we call the Monster, a mobile heavy artillery gun. Heavy firepower, but slow and requires a dedicated feed system for extended combat. It features a quad heavy railgun and a pair of heavy missile launchers."

"Then, we have the Phalanx." He smiled. "Like the Monster, it is slow and features heavy firepower. However, that firepower is in the form of missiles and thus, you get a heavy saturation of firepower that you can unleash all at once."

He continued on, pointing out the various anti-fighter types, and the energy intensive variants that used energy weapons instead of the more physical weaponry.

Still, the prices involved... it was 'only' two hundred plasma credits for the design schemata for a single Zoic Android. And that allowed you to build it, a place for it to stay on your ship as well as the assorted required components for its maintenance. For another two hundred more plasma credits, you would be provided a working version that didn't require dedicated fabrication of the parts and putting one together.

Two or four hundred credits... that was expensive. Still, this would allow you to have a pet for your ship body that would walk about and shoot stuff for you.

Pets were expensive.

\- - -  
 **Dark Heavens | Space Ship Girls  
014 : Expensive Pets**  
\- - -


	17. Expensive Toys

"It does sound interesting, we'll be back later once we look about for more stuff."

The hyoo-mahn merchant, it was clear that he was not affiliated with any sisters at least beyond living as a parasite in Eldest Sister Royale's hull, nodded in understanding. After all, it wasn't as if he hadn't made a sale.

After all, the twins had shared the cost of one of autonomous pets between themselves. To make it cheaper... also likely because they intended to share said pet.

"That is no problem, great lady. Nahasapeemapetilon will still be here at the A.P.U stall, please come back again. Nahasapeemapetilon will be happy to serve great ladies."

With that you and your sisters depart the shop and its hyoo-mahn merchant.

Wandering about the concourse, you soon discovered to your sorrow that there were no cheap but good weapons that you could buy to mount on your ship body. Certainly, there were cheap weaponry, but they were also weak and well... useless compared to what you had. Or you could pay a lot of credits for weapons that you could mount and which where comparable to what you had... but you would need several times what you had to effectively increase your firepower instead of getting an extra spare cannon or missile launcher.

It was... disappointing. Even if you did find more snacks and delicious food to eat, and delightful drinks to drink. Some of which even boosted your energy levels temporarily.

Still, you found something interesting.

There was apparently some kind of... fight going on? A tournament where the smaller bodies of your sisters could enter fights against each other and... lesser species who were armed with assorted weaponry to make it fair.

Or at least that's what the poster for Apocalypse Damnos XLI promised. It would take place in... hmmmm... am arena in the dark underbelly of the sector you're in.

And the winner would win a prize of a hundred plasma credits.

\- - -  
 **Dark Heavens | Space Ship Girls  
015 : Expensive Toys**  
\- - -


	18. Let's Fight

**[X] Attend Apocalypse Damnos XLI as a participant.**

(4:42:10 AM) **Bii:** roll 1d100 C  
(4:42:10 AM) **qqbot:** Bii rolled 1d100: 5 = [5]  
(4:42:19 AM) **Bii:** roll 1d100 E  
(4:42:19 AM) **qqbot:** Bii rolled 1d100: 48 = [48]

(4:44:35 AM) **Bii:** roll 1d100 Fighto! C  
(4:44:40 AM) **qqbot:** Bii rolled 1d100: 95 = [95]  
(4:44:51 AM) **Bii:** roll 1d100 Fighto! E  
(4:44:52 AM) **qqbot:** Bii rolled 1d100: 94 = [94]

Despite your bravodo, standing in the arena as the audience cheered you... you spotted your sisters amongst them and dedicated a small part of your mind on keeping track on them.

You had watched the fights before yours. You had been impressed by how those before you had fought, making use of techniques that blended with their weaponry, even if most of them weren't actually people, they still found intelligently... for the most part.

You weren't so sure about how some of the weapons even worked... but in the end, it didn't matter what they were made of if they could still shoot or cut or whatever it was that they did, right?

"And in this corner, we have a new challenger! Lady Ciara of the ChiChi Freelancers. Her weight class is [Heavy Cruiser]. Let's give her a hand as a first timer on Port Royale and taking part in Apocalypse Damnos."

The cheering goes louder if possible.

How could you not preen? It was impossible, impossible to not preen at the loud cheers. Which was why you were caught by surprise when the other entrance opened and your opponent stepped out.

Your first impression. It was [WRONG!], there was the presence of [Not Right!] surrounding that thing. It towered over you, its proportions giving the impressions of it being all arms and legs with a head larger than its body. Delicate fins rose from its back.

The sword it held in its hand twisted the fabric of space-time in minute ways...

This... this... THING... it screamed at you as if it was the worse of enemies. This was something you HUNTED and KILLED, your instincts demanded it!

Given your focus on it, the fact that you missed most of what the announcer said was understandable... at least beyond it's name of Vault Blade?

Given the amount of attention you paid to it... you could see it pause before it started to charge at you as its shoulder mounted weapon pulsed out metal shards that spun and sliced the air between the two of you.

If... if you weren't... well, you... you might have been sliced into small itty bitty pieces. As it was you were forced to generate energy shields to protect yourself even as you twisted gravity and fell sideways away from the storm of metal shards.

And that was how things went as you shielded yourself and darted here and there to avoid being caught in close combat. Around the two of you, the environment started to take a beating once your miniature broadside particle cannons were deployed and were used to take pot shots at it.

It was definitely frustrating for you... but you would rather not be hit by either the metal shards or the rather large sword (in comparison to your smaller body)... and so, you kept dodging and firing your particle beams.

Also, you were doing a strong battlecry! A fierce one! The fiercest ever... you weren't screaming in panic as you flew about with particle beams everywhere.

...

...

Honest.

Still, the Vault Blade eventually fell... when your particle beams did sufficient damage to its limbs. You just needed to finish it off.

"And the winner!"

Okay... or not, no need to kill it when it was just doing its job as a leashed little dog of the arena... right? It's not like you weren't sure it was safe to destroy it at this close a range.

On the other hand, there is the suspicion that you might have wished that you had lost and been blown up when you see the smiles on your sisters' faces. They had been recording you... hadn't they?

\- - -  
 **Dark Heavens | Space Ship Girls  
016 : Let's Fight!**  
\- - -

Note: Acquired 100 credits. Total is now 599.5 credits.


	19. Expensive Toys II

**[X] Go back to the pet store and buy a pet.**

Trthe be told, you liked the idea of having a pet... a cute little thing to hug and snuggle, to deploy and shoot down enemies at close range as it rampaged across your hull. Bracing itself before firing oversized cannons and missiles like a mobile turret.

Oh, it wasn't a real combat unit, not like a fighter craft... but it was an amusing thought.

As such, you and your sisters soon returned to the pet store run by the hyoo-mahn merchant, he said his name was Nahasapeemapetilon?

"Noble ladies, welcome back to the A.P.U stall. Nahasapeemapetilon is happy to be of service to great ladies."

While hyoo-mahns weren't actually people, they were still rather polite or at least Nahasapeemapetilon was, given the way he smiled and bowed on seeing you walk up to his store.

You could see why some of your kin would keep them as pets...

"Thank you, Nahasapeemapetilon. I have been thinking about the pets, while they are somewhat expensive... I will definitely be getting one. They are rather cute."

The smile from the hyoo-mahn only great at being of assistance to you. "Great lady, Nahasapeemapetilon will be happy to sell you Zoic Android."

He once more pointed out the various pets you could buy.

It was 'only' two hundred plasma credits for the design schemata for a single Zoic Android. And that allowed you to build it, a place for it to stay on your ship as well as the assorted required components for its maintenance.

For another two hundred more plasma credits, you would be provided a working version that didn't require dedicated fabrication of the parts and putting one together.

\- - -  
 **Dark Heavens | Space Ship Girls  
017 : Expensive Pets II**  
\- - -

Note: You currently have 599.5 credits.


	20. Beloved?

**[X] Mixture of Matter and Energy type weaponry**  
 **[X] Slow with Heavy Weaponry/Armor**

"Thank you and come again." The politeness of the hyoo-mahn merchant Nahasapeemapetilon was delightful as you left the store with a miniature version of your pet. Granted, it wasn't really a miniature version, given that it actually housed the virtual intelligence for your pet. Rather, it was a miniature casing for your pet.

Kind of like your weak and squishy smaller body.

It tromped about cheerfully behind you, beside you.

Your sisters, for their part, seem content to enjoy their ice cream treats as they walked alongside you on the way back to the ferry terminal where your ride back to the docks awaited. It had been a long day... and you had time to slowly enjoy yourself.

Which was why you were surprised at the presence of one of your kin, but not one of your adopted sisters stood there and gestured at you with a finger. There was a sort of groan as your elder sisters took in the sight of the older ship girl.

"I have found you." There was a gleeful undertone in her voice. Based on the miniature versions of her flying about in a defensive orbit, and her identifying IFF tag, Arisu was a carrier. Unlike your big sisters, she was tall and sleek, and her skin hue was more like the pets. "My destined beloved."

"One." "of." "those." There was a shared sigh by the twins. The others, however, seem to be smirking as if amused by something.

...

...

...

What?

No, seriously... what? Beloved? Destiny... were those things edible?

Your puzzlement must have shown on your face, as Arisu continued on. "When I saw your fight in the Apocalypse Damnos XLI arena... I knew! I knew! I had found the one for me. The Creators in the Heavens beyond must have shone the path for me to meet you."

"Ciara. Be mine."

"What?" Were her cognitive modules damaged? Well, it was possible that it was a side effect of controlling her minions in their smaller bodies. Or perhaps, it was a sign of how out of it she was given that she was actively generating multiple minor energy fields for her minions to flutter around in and look impressive. Energy fields that would normally be used for defense or mobility turned to the purpose of looking impressive.

\- - -  
 **Dark Heavens | Space Ship Girls  
018 : Beloved?!**  
\- - -


	21. Ice Cream

**[X] Buy her an Ice Cream**

You are... uncertain as to how things came to this. Really, you were.

It was all so very reasonable. You had gone out and had some fun in Port Royale, got to eat tasty treats, see interesting new things, encounter strange relics of that which was... acquired pets... and encountered a strange kin who said she was your destined beloved and for you to be hers.

Which, to the amusement of your sisters, resulted in your panicking and offering to buy her ice cream.

They had started to smirk and not quite laugh as the Arisu blinked, and then smile perkily at your offer. "Excellent. I knew that you would understand."

And thus, you were led to the 'best' ice cream parlor and game salon by Arisu. It seemed almost out of place given that it was a primitive appearing structure crafted out of biological remains of plants and mineral blocks.

The thematic was odd, but most likely had some sort of deep cultural thing involved that the owner had encountered long ago on some backwater world. Unsurprising, the clientele were nothing but others of your kind, even if the servitors were drones with paired Eldanar. Clearly, the drones were there to make sure the Eldanar didn't make off with the precious ice cream.

There were looks of amusement and pity directed at you as the other older sisters/cousins/kin took in Arisu who was humming and holding your hand.

All too soon, you were ensconced at a table with a bowl of ice cream before the two of you.

This... this was far more ice cream than big sister ChiChi had given you. Were you even allowed to BUY this much ice cream?

Which was when Arisu started to feed you the ice cream with a simple spoon. "Say ahhhh~"

What?

Why were your big sisters recording this while seated nearby? Was there some sort of social cue you had missed? And why did the others seated nearby in the parlor say something about that poor virgin and virgin slayer?

.

* * *

 **Dark Heavens | Space Ship Girls**  
 **019 : Ice Cream**

* * *

.

Note: Spent 200 credits. Total is now 399.5 credits.


End file.
